Mercato Metropolitano

It was my friend from uni, Dom’s birthday and we’d been invited to go and join him in Elephant & Castle for a drink in a big street food and drink place called Mercato Metropolitano. Before this, I had to finish work, fortunately though, we cracked on with bevs and bangers at about 4PM.

Pint No. 83

What? – Stella Artois

Where? – The Office, Putney

When? – Friday 16th March 2018

There was a bottle of red wine left over from our Christmas party which was the first victim of the day for us. Once we’d shared that out, we moved on to having a lovely refreshing pint of Stella. Not very much to say about this, other than the fact that similar to my experience with Kronenbourg, my enjoyment was increased by the fact that I was being paid to drink it. No real point in me saying anything about the beer. It’s nickname is ‘Wife beater’.

Overall Score: 1.5/5

When work was over, we got our skates on and tubed over to Elephant and Castle. Mercato Metropolitano is huge, buzzing and absolutely teeming with interesting beverages.

Pint No. 84

What? – Amiata, Humalaya

Where? – Mercato Metropolitano, Elephant and Castle

When? – Friday 16th March 2018

I didn’t know what to expect of the venue so was absolutely delighted when we rocked up and saw the amount of beer on offer. Our first stop was over at the Italian beer bar where I spotted Amiata’s IPA, Humalaya. It’s a strong old drop at 7% and one that I found quite interesting in the mouth. It had a nose and taste of tropical fruit with the standard IPA bitterness. However, the presence of lactose helped to dampen the bitters. It did not last long in my hand.

Overall score: 4/5

We headed off to find our group in another part of the market. At this point, proximity took over and we visited the bar nearest our seats for the next couple of pints.

Pint No. 85

What? – Fourpure, American Pale

Where? – Mercato Metropolitano, Elephant and Castle

When? – Friday 16th March 2018

These both came from Fourpure, a brewery in Bermondsey over by The Den. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Fourpure and plan to head over to their taproom in the coming weeks to sample more of their wares. Here though, I went for their APA, a golden 5% number with just enough flavour to not be dull. I wasn’t overly impressed with this though. I found it quite citrussy and fairly bitter but neither in great spades. I was pretty done with it by the time it was half way finished.

Overall score: 2.5/5

Pint No. 86

What? – Fourpure, Indy Lager

Where? – Mercato Metropolitano, Elephant and Castle

When? – Friday 16th March 2018

I can’t seem to find an image of this one which is a shame, but I guess that’s not so much of a problem. I went back to the same bar, though this time went with the Indy Lager from Fourpure. Again, it was a little underwhelming. It was quite light and easy to drink, but as I’ve found with Helles style beers, there’s not much going on in the taste department. It was also a little too fizzy for me, causing a bit of belchyness. These two have not deterred me from wanting to try more Fourpure beers, but I can’t hide my disappointment.

Overall score: 2/5

My final unique pint of the day came courtesy of a the German bar in Mercato Metropolitano. Quite what made it German I’m not sure though as none of the beers seemed to be from there.

Pint No. 87

What? – DEYA, Steady Rolling Man

Where? – Mercato Metropolitano, Elephant and Castle

When? – Friday 16th March 2018

Back to the American Pale Ales now with Steady Rolling Man out of DEYA Brewery in Cheltenham. This one was a great improvement on the 2 Fourpure beers and left me feeling much more satisfied. Tropical fruit was the overriding smell and it had a good amount of fruit to the taste as well. I would endorse this beer.